Hikvision providing nearly one thousand facial recognition cameras for surveillance system in Xinjiang

Hikvision is supplying nearly one thousand facial recognition cameras to the Chinese government to be installed at the entrances of mosques in a county in the south of the Xinjiang region, The Financial Times reports.

According to a tender reviewed by video camera research firm IPVM, HD cameras from Hikvision designed to withstand extreme temperatures will be installed at 967 mosques as part of a $46 million project for an extensive surveillance system in Moyu County, in an area which has suffered several terrorist attacks. IPVM reports that Hikvision and Dahua Technology have roughly $1 billion in security project contracts across Xinjiang.

Hikvision is 42 percent owned by the Chinese government through its state-owned security hardware parent company CETC. The company provides cameras to offices and schools across China, as well as UK police and U.S. military bases. U.S. officials have sought a ban on the use of Hikvision technology by federal agencies, according to The Times, amid allegations of national security risk and a software vulnerability scare.